1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera control system suitable for use in a video conference system, monitor camera, or similar imaging systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to take an image via a camera and display the image on a screen of a display device such as a CRT wherein the camera is panned or tilted by means of remote control while watching the image on the screen. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a display screen of such a camera control system. In FIG. 7, an image 602 of an object is taken via a camera and displayed in a view window 601. The direction of the camera can be changed (tilted) in vertical directions in response to the designation given via buttons 603 and 604. Similarly, the direction of the camera can be changed (panned) in horizontal directions in response to the designation given via buttons 605 and 606. In FIG. 7, there is also shown a cursor 607 on the screen. If the cursor 607 is put on any button 603-606 with a mouse or similar device and clicked, the pick-up direction of the camera can be changed in a desired direction.
However, in the conventional technique described above, no information is displayed on the screen about the range within which the direction of the camera can be changed, and a user cannot know the range within which he/she can change the pick-up direction of the camera. Furthermore, when it is desired to rotate the camera by a large amount so as to make a great change in the pick-up direction of the camera, it is required to click a button (603-606) a great number of times, which is a tedious operation for a user.
Furthermore, in the above technique, the pick-up direction of the camera is controlled in an incremental or decremental fashion relative to a previous direction, and it is impossible to control the viewing direction by designating the absolute camera position or absolute camera angle. For example, when the camera is remote-controlled, there is a time lag between the time of transmitting an operation command and the time of receiving an image from the camera, and thus the pick-up direction of the camera is often changed excessively beyond a desired direction. This makes it difficult to properly control the viewing direction of the camera.
In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method, apparatus, and system for remote-controlling a video camera and also a storage medium for storing a program used with the method, apparatus and the system, wherein the method, apparatus, system, and storage medium have various features described below:
The range within which the viewing direction of the video camera is clearly displayed so that the video camera can be easily remote-controlled.
The viewing direction of the video camera can be indicated in units of absolute angles.
It is possible to select the range within which the viewing direction of the video camera can be changed.
It is possible to quickly control the video camera in response to given information designating the operation.
It is possible to easily change the viewing direction of the video camera.
Even at any image magnification, it is possible to properly control the amount of change in the viewing direction thereby properly changing the viewing direction of the video camera.
According to one aspect of the present invention to achieve at least one of the above features, there is provided a camera control system including a plurality of camera controllers having the capability of controlling the viewing direction of a video camera connected to the plurality of camera controllers via a network, wherein
each camera controller includes:
viewing direction designating means for designating a change to be made in the viewing direction of the video camera; and
viewing direction displaying means for displaying the information about the current viewing direction of the video camera; and wherein
the camera control system further includes a server including:
control means for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera given by any of the plurality of camera controllers; and
transmission means for transmitting the information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, which is controlled by the control means in accordance with the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera, not only to the camera controller which has issued the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera but also to the other camera controllers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera controller having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera connected to the camera controller via a network, the camera controller including:
viewing direction designating means for designating a change to be made in the viewing direction of the video camera; and
viewing direction displaying means for displaying the current viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the received information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, when no designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera is issued.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a server for changing the viewing direction of a video camera in accordance with the designation given by a camera controller connected to the server via a network, the server including:
control means for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera, the designation being received via the network; and
output means for outputting information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, which is controlled by the control means in accordance with the designation, not only to the camera controller which has issued the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera but also to other camera controllers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a video camera with a camera controller, the video camera being connected to the camera controller via a network, the camera controller having the capability of controlling the viewing direction of the video camera, the method comprising the steps of:
displaying an allowed range within which the viewing direction of the video camera can be changed;
designating a change to be made in the viewing direction of the video camera; and
displaying the current viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the received information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, when no designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera is issued.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling the viewing direction of a video camera with a server in accordance with an instruction given by a camera controller connected to the server via a network, the method including the steps of:
controlling the viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with designation of a change in the viewing direction of the video camera, the designation being given by the camera controller; and
outputting information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, which is controlled in the step of controlling the viewing direction, not only to the camera controller which has issued the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera but also to other camera controllers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium for storing programs executed by a camera controller to control the viewing direction of a video camera connected to the camera controller via a network, the programs including:
a program for designating a change to be made in the viewing direction of the video camera; and
a program for displaying the current viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with the received information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, when no designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera is issued.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium for storing computer-readable programs to be executed by a server computer to change the viewing direction of a video camera in accordance with the designation given by any of a plurality of camera controllers connected to the server computer via a network, the programs including:
a program for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera in accordance with designation of a change in the viewing direction of the video camera, the designation being received via the network; and
a program for outputting information about the current viewing direction of the video camera, which is controlled using the program for controlling the viewing direction, not only to the camera controller which has issued the designation of the change in the viewing direction of the video camera but also to other camera controllers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera control system having the capability of controlling the viewing direction of a video camera using a camera controller, wherein
the camera controller comprises:
zooming ratio designating means for designating a zooming ratio of the video camera;
viewing direction designating means for designating a change in the viewing direction of the video camera in units of predetermined amounts;
amount-of-change control means for controlling the amount of change in the viewing direction in accordance with the zooming ratio designated by the zooming ratio designating means; and
the camera control system further includes a server comprising control means for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera to the direction designated by the viewing direction designating means in the units of amounts controlled by the amount-of-change control means.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera controller having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera, the camera controller comprising:
zooming ratio designating means for designating a zooming ratio of the video camera;
viewing direction designating means for designating a change in the viewing direction of the video camera in units of predetermined amounts; and
amount-of-change control means for controlling the amount of change in the viewing direction in accordance with the zooming ratio designated by the zooming ratio designating means.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a camera control system having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera with a camera controller, wherein
the camera controller comprises:
zooming ratio designating means for designating a zooming ratio of the video camera;
viewing direction designating means for designating a change in the viewing direction of the video camera in units of predetermined amounts; and
the camera control system further includes a server comprising:
amount-of-change control means for controlling the amount of change in the viewing direction in accordance with the zooming ratio designated by the zooming ratio designating means; and
control means for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera to the direction designated by the viewing direction designating means in the units of amounts controlled by the amount-of-change control means.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a server having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera in response to a command given from the outside, the server comprising:
amount-of-change control means for controlling the amount of change in the viewing direction in accordance with the zooming ratio designated from an external source and
control means for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera to the direction designated by the viewing direction designating means in the units of amounts controlled by the amount-of-change control means.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a video camera with a camera controller having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera, the method comprising the steps of:
designating a zooming ratio of the video camera;
designating a change in the viewing direction of the video camera in units of predetermined amounts; and
controlling the amount of change in the viewing direction in accordance with the zooming ratio designated in the step of designating the zooming ratio.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a video camera with a server having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera in response to a command given from an external source, the method comprising the steps of:
controlling the amount of change in the viewing direction in accordance with the zooming ratio designated from the external source; and
controlling the viewing direction of the video camera to the direction designated in the viewing direction designating step in the units of amounts controlled in the unit amount control step.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a storage medium for storing computer-readable programs executed by a camera computer having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera, the programs including:
a program for designating a zooming ratio of the video camera;
a program for changing the viewing direction of the video camera in units of predetermined amount; and
a program for controlling the unit of amount of change in the viewing direction.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a storage medium for storing computer-readable programs executed by a server computer having the capability of changing the viewing direction of a video camera in response to a command given from an external source, the programs including:
a program for controlling the amount of change in the viewing direction depending on the zooming ratio of the video camera designated from the external source; and
a program for controlling the viewing direction of the video camera to a designated direction in the units of the controlled amount.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will be more readily apprehended from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.